The present invention relates to computer systems, in particular to computer systems suitable for multiprocessor systems, for example multiprocessor server systems.
One application for the present invention relates to high reliability systems, for example, computer server systems for telecommunications applications. In telecommunications applications, it is important to provide high reliability and high capacity of operation. Various approaches have been taken to providing such high-performance, high reliability systems. Typically such systems are designed around providing redundant resources so that if one component of the system develops a fault, the system remains operational using the redundant resources. Redundant operation can be provided by means of special purpose lockstep-operating multiprocessor systems. Such systems are typically rack mountable, with each processor system typically occupying a shelf in the rack. The trend in recent times is to make the computers with shallower form factors. This means that more computers can be located in a rack. This has the advantage of increasing the processing density within the racks, and also the advantage of reducing the distance between the computer systems.
However, the form factors are now becoming such that they cannot be reduced significantly further, and there is still an ongoing need to provide increased processing performance at reduced cost.